We’re not a good mom. We’re not a good athlete. We’re not a good whatever. Maybe someone told us we weren’t ‘THAT THING’ at first. But somewhere along the way we started to believe it.

It’s the kind of talk we tell ourselves that slowly eats away at the ‘you’, you could be. It’s negative talk that eats away at who you really are and who you were created to be. It can shatter your confidence and hold you back. We all have insecurities, doubts, and fears. It is what you choose to do with it, that will decide your circumstance.

For many years, I said I wasn’t a cook. In fact, the kitchen terrified me. It was like a foreign country to me. I didn’t know what to do in there. I didn’t speak its language. I liked the idea of eating healthy but at that time, I really didn’t even know what that meant. I dine out at really great restaurants. I survived on the convenience of prepackaged foods disguised as a healthy choice. But cooking for me meant buying a rotisserie chicken and throwing it on top of a pre-packaged salad or throwing frozen broccoli in a microwave for a side.

See, it’s one thing to know you need to make a change. It’s another to take the steps necessary to make it happen and believe me, it can be overwhelming. When I set my mind on becoming a more authentic me, I quickly realized it would mean establishing some new behaviors.

Make the morning, a good morning: When you wake up, try telling yourself how the day is going to be different from yesterday. Play it out in your head. It sounds a little cheesy but give yourself a pep talk. I find reading something inspirational, like a book or my bible, gets me in the right frame of mind to face the challenges of the day. The living breathing word of God is my best pep talk. Truthfully, my biggest weapon is prayer. Prayer for me is power. It connects my heart and my head and gets them on the same page about what I should do. Prayer helps me focus on what I know to be true. It empowers me.

Pay attention: Sometimes we don’t even realize how we talk about ourselves. It’s like breathing. It’s just a part of what we do. The quicker you realize when you are talking negatively to yourself, the easier it is to correct it. Consider writing down your ‘truth’ on a piece of paper and keeping it with you. Then, when someone else tries to fill your head with negative thoughts, look at it and remember.

Take Action. All you have to do is take a small step a day toward your goal EVERY DAY and before you know it, you will be where you wanted to go! For me, change required education first. For others, it might mean creating a new routine.

Don’t ignore the positive: I’ll be honest with you, there will be times you will feel anxious, unsure, even defeated but focus on the positive. Life doesn’t have to be perfect so cut yourself a break. Take a deep breath and have fun! Get silly sometimes. That’s a great way to find the positive. Seriously, you should see the dance parties and silliness that erupt in my kitchen-it’s hysterical and always reminds me what’s really important.

Finally, surround yourself with people who support you! If you are hanging out with people who complain all the time, make you feel bad or stress you out, you are hanging out with the wrong people! Researchers have proven that bad moods are contagious! You need people around you who are able to lift you up, help you out and catch you if you fall.

How we talk to ourselves makes all the difference in getting us where we need and WANT to be. Instead of thinking “I can’t”, I started thinking “Why not?”. That’s why I love it when I get pictures or emails from people saying how they changed up one of my recipes! How fantastic to feel so brave! It took me years to feel like I could experiment with a recipe. Kudo’s to you Carina Gaynier.

Thank you, Brooke Thomas, for this simple and delicious recipe for dinner. Chicken Burrito Bowl, prepared in the crockpot while I was at work today. Add two additional ingredients and the toppings of your choice. We chose to serve it over organic brown rice. Teenager approved! #healthyeating

And you Sarah Zieg

Thank you, Brooke Thomas, for this amazing recipe! House smells yum! I swapped the vegetable broth with chicken broth (that’s what I had in the freezer) and white navy instead of black beans (can’t be too bad right?) These recipes are fantastic!

And you Lisa Caldanaro Smith

Love it that I can put a quick healthy soup in the crock pot today!!! It’s yummy! Gluten free, dairy free!! Thank you, Brooke Thomas, for your amazing simple easy 30 crock pot recipe books! Love it!! I hardly ever cook because my husband does all the cooking so I surprised him with dinner in the crock pot!!! I added rice because to the No chicken noodle soup and it’s yummy!!!

Keep telling yourself you CAN and soon you WILL. I believe it. Do you?

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